Wingsail Opti taken for a cruise

Source: ORACLE Racing Comms // May 25, 2011The wingsail Optimist was given a spin last weekend by New Zealand national champ Leonard Takahashi-Fry in a photoshoot for Japanese journalist Yoichi Yabe of Kazi Magazine. Takahashi-Fry absolutely dominated the regatta, winning six of the 12 races scored and placing 2nd another five times. His father is Robert Fry, a member of the Nippon Challenge for the America’s Cup in 1992 and 95.
Fry started flying in 1992 in San Diego and built an amateur home built kit plane. He developed an interest in aerobatics and attended the 1995 Breitling Masters competition. In 1997 he obtained his first aerobatic plane and went on to perform in airshows in New Zealand and internationally.
The wingsail Opti was first featured in The Digest on May 2. Inspired by dinghy sailors from the Wakatere Boating Club, Mike Drummond and his partners on the ORACLE Racing Design Team adapted the top section of an A Class rig to the Opti.
“The top section of our A-class catamaran wing is removable, and about the same size as an Opti rig. It was very easy to add a standard Opti mast tube to be able to step it into a normal Opti,” said Drummond.

Wingsail Opti taken for a cruise
Reviewed by Panos Douros
on
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Rating: 5